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News - Interholco ¦ Logs and Lumber

26.03.2019 Companies do play a critical role in helping achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and INTERHOLCO is no exception. In 2015, the United Nations introduced 17 Sustainable Development Goals. For the first time, governments agreed that the challenges international society faces, including those related to poverty, hunger, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice were interconnected and that each sector had a contribution to make.

The resulting SDGs are thus truly global, holistic goals, addressing the North and South.

Far from being confined to one SDG, Sustainable Hardwood – Made in Africa, INTERHOLCO’s core product, delivers a good many other co-products, such as biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, rural development, social well-being and economic growth.

In fact, the African timber industry is a catalyst of other benefits which are provided far beyond the forest alone, across a wide range of landscapes.

Let’s start from the forest itself, the immediate environmental landscape: wood products from African tropical forests sustainably managed not only help protect and maintain it for future generations, but also, effectively sustain Intact Forest Landscapes.

As a forest is an eco-system, and millions depend on it for their livelihood, dealing with a forest means taking care of a social landscape, too. Each of INTERHOLCO’s wood products help drive development, not just for the employees – by giving them access to fair and competitive wages, but also by providing them medical care, education as well as electricity and drinking water, which are also enjoyed by their families and communities.

Our wood products are put on the market, triggering economic growth locally and internationally. As sustainably sourced wood production is market-driven, we participate in campaigns and awareness-raising projects aiming to grow interest in renewable construction materials, convinced that our wood products can satisfy the needs of future-minded consumers, addressing their concerns and expectations (especially in modern house construction with wood ).

Wood from sustainably harvested natural forests is a forever renewable beautiful raw material, playing a key role in the CO2 capture and storage processes.

Our products give evidence of national laws and international regulations: labour rights, workers’ rights, human rights or agreements with local communities. We do our best to regularly cross-check our actions with the expectations of employees, their immediate communities, indigenous peoples, civil society, customers, international organizations, government representatives and scientific experts.

About INTERHOLCO

Since 1962, INTERHOLCO is serving an international clientele with high-quality hardwood – Made in Africa.

With annual sales of about EUR 65 Mio., the Swiss-based INTERHOLCO is one of the leading international suppliers of sustainable hardwood, from sourcing and processing to high quality hardwood products: logs, lumber, laminated scantlings and more. In addition to three processing sawmills, large kiln facilities, a lamination and planing mill, INTERHOLCO manages an FSC-certified 1.1 million ha forest concession in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), employing a diverse dedicated global workforce of about 1’000 people. INTERHOLCO serves over 50 countries world-wide, from importers to industrial end-users.

INTERHOLCO is committed to making sustainably harvested timber from Africa the norm, as a renewable material that improves people’s livelihoods in the region and protects the forest and its precious wildlife. INTERHOLCO supports the Fair&Precious initiative in its goal to increase market recognition of sustainable hardwood from Africa based on technical, environmental and sustainability considerations.